Retail Design: The Latest Architecture and News

Snøhetta, in collaboration with MQDC, has released the design for Cloud 11, a large-scale mixed-use complex in the South Sukhumvit district in Bangkok, Thailand. The new development addresses the pressing need for urban green spaces in the densely built neighborhood. The project, measuring a total of 250.000 square meters, also aims to help transform the Sukhumvit into a hub for innovation and tech companies in the city while providing the area with a large, green public space and spaces for artists, makers, and tech entrepreneurs. Construction has already started, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

+ 1

When lockdowns first hit and retailers were forced to shut up shop, many took to the digital high street instead, with those investing hardest and quickest in their online personas invariably winning the battle for our bookmarks. As the world opened again, some kept both their physical and digital presence in a hybrid model, while others chose to remove themselves from bricks and mortar altogether.

As we become more accustomed to using both models together, it’s clear that physical retail spaces can offer sensorial experiences that the digital simply can not – yet. These four projects buck the online retail trend and encourage consumers – and therefore other retailers, too – to move back into the physical, by turning the act of shopping into an exciting, invigorating, or relaxing luxury pastime, rather than a chore.

Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava has unveiled the design of the Calatrava Boulevard, a complex offering upmarket restaurants, retail, and office spaces in Düsseldorf, Germany. Located on a highly visible site between Königsallee boulevard, Königstrasse, and Steinstrasse, the new complex features a curved and vaulted 135-foot-tall roof and a flowing interior street, creating the appearance of a sculptural light-filled canyon. The project, done in collaboration with Uwe Reppegather, Founder and Managing Director of the CENTRUM Group, is set to be completed by 2028.

+ 3

All aspects of society today are becoming increasingly more digital. Our interconnectedness and speed at which we are able to search and transfer information have made us more accustomed to exploring new ways that technology can impact our lives. Over the last few years, the rise of bitcoin, blockchain, and now the metaverse, has caused architects and designers to reconsider the notion of physical and virtual space. But beyond that, there’s an “in-between” of spaces that will be designed to support the technological escapism that the metaverse and web3 offer. While these virtual worlds are on the frontier of the digitization of everything, architects will play a huge part in designing the real-world physical spaces that can support them.

Retail stores are places that need to transport us to another universe. We need to have our senses stimulated and our instincts fired for a truly convincing experience.

Architecture is a fundamental part of this seduction, being able to use artifacts such as colors, materials, lighting and volumes to awaken the most varied feelings in customers. Commercial architecture, in addition to all the technical elements, needs to reach the public from the facade to its interior, always remaining faithful to the brand's concepts and identities. In this article we have selected some examples of commerce facilities that stimulate customers in different ways.

+ 8

Over the past couple of years, many designers have voiced their commitment to ethical and ecological sourcing, resorting to frugal designs through local materials, traditional techniques, and equitable architecture. Having this approach in mind, many found inspiration in their cultural heritage, reimagining ancient designs in contemporary contexts.

When thinking of recycled design trends, we can't overlook one of the most well-known and popular materials that was shared by nations all around the globe over the span of 100 years; on balconies, outdoor patios, gardens, and indoor living spaces: rattan. It is estimated that almost seven hundred million people worldwide use rattan, with many countries presenting it as an integral part of their cultures. In this article, we look at how architects and designers integrated rattan in their designs and found numerous ways to make the best out of Southeast Asia's popular local material.

+ 17

+ 33

+ 38

+ 8

Head shops, born during the counterculture movement of the 1960s, were legally mandated to only sell products for use with legal substances. This influenced a tradition of delightfully surreptitious shop names and bright, far-out signage welcoming potential customers to a safe space, while staying within the law. From the cartoon apple with marijuana leaves as stems gracing the sign at Adam’s Apple in Chicago, to the simple block-lettered neon sign at The Fitter in Boulder, the tradition of odd, cool, freeform, blocky, colorful lettering spelling out fun and hardly clandestine shop names has offered sanctuary for those searching for the sub- and counterculture for half a century.

+ 6

+ 10

Videos

+ 9

+ 6

+ 29